Elementary School Entries:

E53 - H

E53 - H

ARTISTS: Zoey Brianna LulgjurajOur single use lifestyle is harming wildlife. We need to map out and follow a new plan before our growing trash problem destroys any more plants and animals. (Notice the single use trash items and maps used in this sculpture.)

ARTISTS: Lakshya Agarwal, Eamon RozarioOur sculpture is a turtle. The maps represent the skin of the turtle, the cans represent the hard shell and its tail, the straws represent the thick part of the skin. Please save the oceans, they are filled with plastic which causes turtles to become injured or die every year. It’s important to conserve wildlife because the plants and animals need our help.

ARTISTS: Jose Bercedoni, Julian BercedoniWhen we lived in Hawaii we learned to take care of our environment by living in balance with nature. They called it living sustainably. My family would practice reusing, reducing and recycling to help the environment. We would also do beach clean ups. Our sculpture shows our journey from Hawaii to Florida. Our family hopes to help beach and ocean animals in Florida by using what we learned in Hawaii. To live sustainably, practice the 3 R's, Reduce-Reuse-Recycle and to keep our beaches clean. We hope our sculpture shares the message and inspires you to Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

ARTISTS: Kurnique Jones, Evey Lewis, Tatiana Harlow, Francesca Best, Antonella Furcolo, Breannah Lapradd, Ana Lucia Perez, Alyssa Harrison, Zoey Jones, Callie Oslin, Briana Webber, Paige Mcmahon, Lauren Carpenter, Shelby Williams, Raegan Williams, Aubree Pacheco, Aubrey Pitts, Sofia Gonzales"The art enrichment cluster at Boyette Springs Elementary School created a sculpture of an owl near its nest about to eat a poisoned rat. The owl is created out of maps and the nest is created out of aluminum cans. The sign ""Please don't poison my dinner"" was made using straws. The artwork is a statement piece about letting owls do their job instead of putting poison out to get rid of bothersome rodents. A single barn owl can eat 1,000 rodents in a year, some of which may be poisoned."

ARTISTS: Alyssa Hozven, Kenley Holmes, Isabelle Santiago Reyes, Samantha WilliamsWe made a sea turtle and baby sea turtles for our project because we all found sea turtles interesting and many species, including those in the waters off of Florida, are endangered.

ARTISTS: Luke Strang, Sebastian Annino, Angel RicoWe chose to make a sculpture of a Manta Ray due to its endangered species label. This sea creature is declining in numbers due to over fishing and climate change. Presently, solutions to grow the numbers of the Ray aren't sufficient.

ARTISTS: Asher Simmons, Misael Vicente-Diaz, Alan Lopez-LopezRhinoceroses are endangered animals due to poaching and habitat loss. Very few numbers remain outside conversation parks and zoos. Our sculpture was designed to raise awareness of the rapid decline of these animals.

ARTISTS: Ethyn Lee, Marcus PaulWe chose to make a sculpture of a crocodile after reading about how it is hunted for its skin and threatened by the leather trade. They are under protection as an endangered species. In Florida, due to habitat loss, they are also labeled as an endangered species.

ARTISTS: Entire Fifth Grade (144 students)Mangrove Estuary. The mangroves that grow along the edge of the water throughout the Tampa Bay area provide protection for young fish. They also stabilize the shoreline against erosion.

ARTISTS: Aylin Mejia--Zorrilla, Callie Baucom, Bryan Lopez, Vanessa Fay, Joseph Diamantopoulos, Tia Mikhaeil, Felicity Hernandez, Isabella WilliamsOur sculpture showcases two endangered species and the contrast between their natural habitats. We have divided our sculpture into two sections. On one side we created a pack of Snow Leopards in their cold, snowy climate of northern Asia. The other half of our sculpture depicts a pack of Cheetahs in the grasslands of the African plains. The two habitats are divided by a rainbow bridge symbolizing hope for conserving the existing wildlife in our world.

ARTISTS: Kaylin Merritt, Shiomi Webber, Courtney Kirk, Celeste GrayTitle- "Tiger in the Wild- Big Cat Rescue" We love cats, many people do. Sometimes people take wild cat kittens because they are so cute but then give them up when they are too big to handle. Thank you to organizations like Big Cat Rescue who take these cats in and make them feel cared for.

ARTISTS: Sophia Kronz, Mary-Rose Fausnaugh, Kendra LongoTitle "Samantha Lynx and Baby Luna" Many wild cats habitats are being taken away because of residential building. They are often shot and killed as they were just in our hunting grounds (our backyards) when they were only looking for their next meal for their babies.

ARTISTS: Thomas Miller, Nina DelaneyTitle-"Bald Eagle" We chose the Bald Eagle because it is our National Bird, and they are majestic creatures of power, beauty, and strength. What a great bird to protect as it represents our country.

ARTISTS: Angela Bazan-Barron, Annika Karr, Stevie Fererra, CJ FerreraWe chose the Red Wolf because it is an endangered species in Florida. A mother and her cub are under the crescent moon in the protection of the forest. Some people think Red Wolves are red but they are actually brown. We can protect the Red Wolf by not cutting down so many trees, and less littering.

ARTISTS: Aspen Armstrong, Mallina Hubbard, Claire Higgins, Adalyn ShepherdTitle- "The Manatee Squad" Many people love to look at Manatees and watch them eat lettuce like at the Lowry Park Zoo. But other people drive speedboats too fast and cut or kill the manatee. We need to protect our precious sea cows of the waterways.

ARTISTS: Eli Sievers, Griffin MizeTitle- "The Tortoise" With increases of pollution in our waterways and creation of red tides, turtles that were almost one hundred years old died in great numbers. Some people speeding in cars have hit turtles that were crossing roadways. Man continues to build into animal habitats...others people trample through protected turtle egg nests or put bright lights distracting baby turtles from crawling to the water to continue the lifecycles.

ARTISTS: Kai Womack, Alyssa Alejo, Adriel Ortiz, Litzy Sanchez, Samantha Zambrano, Sabrina Zambrano, Katie Solis, Jeriscka BernardOur tree represents two different outcomes from the use of materials in our environment. The side of our tree that is colorful and shows the park maps represent the impact we have if we conserve and reuse materials. The other side that is dark and looks lifeless represents what will happen to our natural habitat if we continue to litter and not recycle, negatively impacting every animal and species on Earth.

ARTISTS: Eliana Martis, Bradon MartisWe wanted to highlight a Florida animal that is under threat of extinction due to its habitat being under threat. The burrowing owl’s status in Florida is threatened. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission says that, “The burrowing owl faces many threats to its population. The main threat is the continued loss of habitat. Threats to habitat include construction activities, development, and harassment by humans and domesticated animals. Heavy floods can destroy burrows in the ground, which can cause the destruction of eggs and young. Other threats include increased predation by ground and aerial predators in the burrowing owl’s habitat, and vehicle strikes.”

ARTISTS: Brant StricklandI made my sculpture to make people aware of what logging does to forests and animals. The blue straws are the front of a bulldozer, the long can is the back of a turtle, the map bundle is the top of a tree, the straw by the live tree is a snake. The red straws near the bulldozer are the dead trees. If we take away the animals’ homes then they may become endangered or even extinct. That’s why it’s important to conserve wildlife!

ARTISTS: Yanzara Jimenez, Ashi TyagiAmur leopards are an endangered species, and they depend on their forest habitat. Our sculpture shows their forest habitat destroyed by pollution and humans. The cans and maps represent the trees of the forest. The old ruined sign stating, “Wildlife Preserve”, was destroyed by humans as well as some of the trees and habitat. The cotton, straws, and cardboard show the dead Amur leopards that were killed by human invaders. Our sculpture supports wildlife conservation because it shows the result of not preserving wildlife and animals.

ARTISTS: Gwen LeonardMy sculpture goes with the theme because it shows a tropical rainforest of endangered lemurs who are swinging high in the trees. There’s a tree with a recycling symbol on it that is sending an important message; save wild life! Already we have a couple of endangered species and many more. We have to conserve wildlife.

ARTISTS: Liam McGaghey, Amanda HernendezOur sculpture is about animals that are being saved. We put pandas, tigers, polar bears, sea turtles, and trees to raise awareness about wildlife conservation. We have put some different animal habitats and added trees and big flowers. It’s important not to cut down trees, because they are the homes of many animals.

ARTISTS: Annabelle KanachWhen I think of animals, I mainly focus on endangered wildlife. Look at the map. The cotton balls represent where forests are being cut down. The straw tips represent where animals are going extinct. With this map, people know where not to go and poach animals, where to go to plant trees, and save animal lives. The pictures are of animals going extinct or endangered. Look at the endangered species list, that is a quarter of endangered species. Be a hero and help conserve wildlife!

ARTISTS: Hailey GooddineBees are endangered. We need to plant flowers and help the bees. Don't knock over bee hives or spray bug spray. Please don't cut off their stingers because they need it for protection. Help me save the bees.

ARTISTS: Christopher Beebe, Yanisa Suarez, Aspen Krater, Dominik Rechtorik, Natalia Rechtorik, Jocelyn Ivey, Ophelia Hanni, Everett Hanni, Elian Lazala, Layla Lazala, Darius Brown II, Lira Brown, Ava Zarkos, Alice SankerWe are very concerned about the global bee decline. Bees are a crucial part of our ecosystem and food supply. They are dying because development is destroying their habitats and bee-killing pesticides are used on our crops, gardens, and lawns. We want to show how pollinator gardens are a small but effective way you can help save the bees and other pollinators in our community.

ARTISTS: Derell (DJ) Gooddine Jr.There are two types of giraffes that are critically endangered, the Kordofan Giraffe and the Nubian Giraffe. Hopefully with wildlife conservation we can remove them the endangered list. We can do this by increasing their habitat and stopping hunters from hunting them.

ARTISTS: Aubree GooddineArctic foxs are so cute. With Wildlife Conservation they went from 30 to 200 since 1980. Arctic foxes still need our help because with warm weather red foxes can live by them and kill them. I love Arctic Foxes and don't want them to die.

ARTISTS: Jurnee Bailey, Sanai Wilson, Yanelys Rasado, Neijey Borders, Addysen Sheppard, Totiona Malloy, Juan Ramos, Donovan Dilts, Angel RosalesWe chose the Florida Panther because its habitat is being destroyed so quickly. There are less than 200 wild Florida Panthers left in Florida so they are almost extinct!

ARTISTS: Bomin Kwon, Mackenzie Muse, Areej Hamed, Hayley BachmanWe chose the sea turtle because it is endangered from people who litter in the oceans. We also chose this because we feel that people need to stop harming sea turtles since they are an important to our environment.

ARTISTS: Connor McGinnis, Ocean Thompson, Andrew Terrill, William TerrillWe chose to make a Florida Panther because it is the state mammal, and it is on the brink of extinction. Two of their biggest threats are homes being built on their natural habitats, and motorists hitting them at night.

ARTISTS: Ella James, Kira Bahtic, Olivia Chavis, Kaitlyn Carroll, Kaylynn MacknewWe decided to create a manatee scene for our project because we all like sea cows, and they are endangered here in Florida. In our scene, we incorporated two major threats to a manatees survival; pollution and careless motor boat activity. The title of our boat, "The Broken Heart", summarizes how we feel about what is happening to manatees.

Middle School Entries:

M21

M21

ARTIST Quincy Reath, Mia CrespoWe sculpted a little girl sitting on a fur rug and playing with a stuffed animal of the animal she is sitting on. This will be the future if we don't stop using animal furs for our personal enjoyment.

ARTIST Catie Bishop, Georgia ReinhardWe created our sculpture to represent the tragic effects caused by our carelessness. Due to errors, oil, and pollution, trash accumulates in our oceans and jeopardizes the lives of ocean life. We made this sculpture primarily out of aluminum cans, straws, and maps but also used wire, wood, and lights. This jelly fish sculpture has black paint spots to represent the copious amounts of oil that pollutes the oceans. The cans repesent the trash that we throw into our waters. We need to do our part in protecting our oceans and wildlife. They don't need to suffer because of us.

ARTIST Kaylee SheppardThis sculpture is what was, before the need to have wildlife conservation programs, and back when people had respect for our environment. We can still save it from becoming what will be. Regret.

ARTIST Lily Clark, Lilly FlanneryOur sculpture is an orca attempting to jump out of a Sea World tank. We are showing how cruel Sea World is. They are stealing orcas from the wild and separating family’s. Once and orca arrives at Sea World, they are kept in tiny tanks that are not suitable for an animal that size. They are forced to perform and do tricks and this causes them to become depressed. We want to bring awareness to this horrible problem.

ARTIST Chase BallwegAbout forty years ago, American Alligators came to the brink of extinction before hunting was controlled. Now, the main danger to alligators in Florida is people destroying their habitats, so much so that they are in danger again.

ARTIST Ezra CarpenterMy project represents how sharks around the world are being caught for their fins. Not only to people do this, but once their fins are harvested, these sharks are then thrown back in the water and left to die. This process is causing a major decrease in different shark species' population and could lead to some becoming extinct.

ARTIST Ana Fernandez, Isabella SpiegelOur sculpture sends a strong message about global warming, and how it is harming fish all around the oceans. We wanted to show the importance of keeping the environment safe for generations to come.

ARTIST Brooke BaileyI chose to do a sea turtle trapped under a net to demonstrate how people just leave random trash in the water for any sea animal to get trapped in. I chose specifically to do a sea turtle because the main species that live in Florida are endangered because of pollution in the water. It is also sad that such beautiful creatures like the sea turtle are dying because of us.

Madison Odell, KatilynOur project is about a black panther. There are two heads of the black panther one symbolizing the panther free, and the other is the panther who is captured with chains around its neck with a muzzle on.

ARTIST Jordan HaycockI chose to do my sculpture on a coral reef. Coral reefs are being destroyed because of large amounts of trash in oceans. Coral reefs support a ton of wildlife and are essential for the ocean ecosystem to thrive.

ARTIST Riese ThroneburgMy piece shows how deforestation has impacted the environment and the animals that live there. My piece shows a native bird to Florida, the red-coackaded woodpecker, that is now on the endangered species list due to the impact humans have had on our Earth. Many animals every year are losing their homes just so we can make another apartment complex or have another fast food joint. We need to do a better job of being more aware of the animals around us.

ARTIST Madeline Felegy, Sophia ColettaThis sculpture is about sea turtle nest preservation on Florida Beaches. It's important to turn off your lights on the beach at night to protect the turtle nests- hence the lamp. Sea turtles use the moon to guide them to the water so the light projected is a moon to show the little turtles being mislead by a light turned on at night.

ARTIST Elizabeth PopolaMy sculpture relates to wildlife conservation because my sculpture is of a sail boat and a manatee swimming along side the boat, happily. This project is a positive way to show saving the manatees by using sail boats instead of motor boats.

ARTIST Aryana Thompson, Vanessa PayesOur project was created to show how cutting down trees can harm the environment and many animals living in it. The Grasshopper Sparrow is one example of an animal that loses its habitat when trees are cut down. We resembled this by creating the Grasshopper Sparrow bird holding a sack to show how it is homeless with no more trees to live in.

ARTIST Findlay HartmanMy sculpture is of a stick figure man crushing/stepping on bees. The man is made of trash to represent the harm humans and their waste cause the bee community. The man is also bending down to look at a flower. The bees pollinate the flower and without the bees the flower will die. The human race is hurting the bees with their actions and all they care about is pretty things like flowers; which will be gone without the bees.

ARTIST Cassidy O'Neal, Kylie HarrisThe giraffes in Africa are getting killed by poachers and their habitat is dwindling due to increased populations all over Africa. People are unaware of how serious this issue is.

ARTIST Crystal Vergara, Kaitlyn French, Christopher Chambers, Isabella Siddy, Natalie Frey, Gia Maniscalco, Katie Joo, Eliane RamosWe decided to create a large fish with our materials. The fish was made to make a statement about the state of our gulf waters. Red Tide kills thousands of fish every year and this can be prevented. Our intention was to create a dead fish that has washed ashore from red tide.

ARTIST Sebastian Cinfuentes, Kevin AcostaThe sculpture depicts a turtle carrying the last piece of the earth “an island” on his back. The turtle is swimming through discarded cans and straws in an attempt to save it.

ARTIST Kaitlyn Rodriguez"The Javen Rhino" is made of soda cans in the tail and parts of the body, straws in the tail and grass, and maps for the horns. I also used floral foam, and papier mache for details. I chose to represent this endangered species because they are special to me. I think they are really cool looking and I like that they have two horns.

ARTIST Rachel Patz"The Endangered Scaly Friend" is a sculpture of the nearly extinct Pangolin, in one of its many habitats. I made it from soda cans, papier mache, maps, black beads, cardboard, straws, pipe cleaners, toilet rolls, and acrylic paint. I chose this endangered species because it is cute and is being hunted for a stupid reason. This animal is special to me because I really like how they eat bugs, which is good so we don't have an overpopulation of bugs!

ARTIST Morissey Montgomery, Madison Soforelli"Perfect Pair of Pecking Penguins in a Puzzling Pickle" is a sculpture about the endangered Emperor Penguins in their Antarctic habitat. We used aluminum cans and air dry clay to make the penguins, cans and maps for the icebergs, and straws and string to create the snowflake effect in the background. We chose penguins because they are adorable, funny, and amazing swimmers. However, they are in danger of extinction.

ARTIST Ne'Shawrii Robinson"The Endangered Amputee" The back story of my animal is quite sad. This weasel was just minding her own business while hunting, and she got caught in a trap which had been created by and illegal company that uses weasel skins to make fur jackets. This weasel was a loving mother and the hunter for her family, the father having already been killed by a trap. To rescue herself from the trap she chewed off her own leg, so she could return to her home to care for her babies.

ARTIST Christina Sufrin, Miana Taveras"Save the Spots" is a sculpture about a cheetah sitting on a large stone in the Savannah staring at its prey. We chose to represent this species because it's one of our favorite animals. We chose this setting and color scheme to represent what his animal's life and habitat are really like.

ARTIST Ashlyn MillerAluminum cans such as those I used in my project can take up to 200 years to decompose, and plastic straws can take about 500 years. The animal that I chose to create was the green sea turtle, an important animal to the underwater ecosystem keeping sea beds and coral reefs in good shape. I was born and raised in Florida, and I think it is more than important to keep our beaches and oceans safe and clean. This project has taught me that you can make beautiful art pieces with recycled elements to help save our planet.

ARTIST Nathalie Crespo, Brenda GodinezThe endangered species we sculpted is the west African black rhino. We chose this animal due to their important contribution to the African ecosystem. The African rhinos help protect other species, such as elephants, buffalo and other animals. They also contribute to Africa's economic growth since they attract tourists, which then creates more job opportunities. However, due to poachers, or illegal hunters, they have become nearly extinct.

ARTIST Melishka RomanI decided to create a wolf using mix-media because not only does it tie in with the idea of conservation, but because I love the majestic aura and idea placed around wolves. I wanted to combine the idea of conservation with the majestic feel of wolves in order to bring in a new feeling towards the scultpure.

ARTIST Sydney PalmI created a mixed media sculpture based on the greater sage-grouse. I chose this bird over all the other endangered animals because it looked like a neat bird. I also like to take challenges in my art and this bird looked like a challenge.

ARTIST Timothy WolfeRed pandas are endangered with less than 10,000 left in the wild. This is because of poaching and habitat loss. Red Pandas help keep forests clean and healthy. Therefore, maximum effort is needed to keep these furry critters around.

ARTIST Yarelis CrespoI chose to make a pangolin because I thought the scales would be interesting to create. The meat of a pangolin is a delicacy in some countries, which puts it in high demand. The scales are also used for medicine.

ARTIST Roberto Cabrera-Cruz, Thalia Camacho, Jennifer Mendoza, Jaydin Wilson, Yicelis Massana"For our project, we decided to focus on the hummingbird and the conservation threats they face, such as habitat loss and chemicals found in the environment. Because this beautiful bird is so small, even minor development and small growth of urbanization can have a huge impact on its livelihood. In addition, chemicals found in the environment, such as the use of pesticides, can greatly impact hummingbirds at a faster rate than larger species. These chemicals will easily poison and kill hummingbirds. It would be such a shame if these rare little birds disappeared as a result of environmental damages caused by humans. We need to protect the hummingbirds and allow them to thrive in their natural habitat."

ARTIST Oscar Lopez Borjas, Bryan Gonzalez, Michael Martinez, Yasmani Pimentel MenganaWe made an owl with map feathers to show all the areas that humans have built on land that destroys where owls live.

ARTIST Damian SalasSea turtles are not threatened by other animals. Their biggest threats come from humans. From litter found in beaches and the ocean, net entanglement caused by fishermen, to the stealing and destruction of turtle eggs, the lives of sea turtles in addition to their habitats are being destroyed . It's important that we as humans, make an effort to protect these beautiful creatures and bring awareness to the many threats they face. By helping rather than hindering, we can save the sea turtles!

ARTIST Samacha NernginnThe "Iron Mare" is the idea representing the "what if?" Or, the downfall of wildlife animals in an alternative dystopian earth to ours where wild animals no longer are a common part of the world, and are instead preserved as animatronics. She shows us what could be the outcome of our destructive ways if we, the humans, do not conserve the wildlife that we take for granted.

ARTIST Damian SalasSea turtles are not threatened by other animals. Their biggest threats come from humans. From litter found in beaches and the ocean, net entanglement caused by fishermen, to the stealing and destruction of turtle eggs, the lives of sea turtles in addition to their habitats are being destroyed . It's important that we as humans, make an effort to protect these beautiful creatures and bring awareness to the many threats they face. By helping rather than hindering, we can save the sea turtles!

ARTIST Jacob Cintron, De'Angelo KirkWe made a Florida panther. Panthers look like cougars and our school, Caminiti, are the Cougars. Florida panthers are not safe so we need to help them stay safe and be happy.

ARTIST Lindsee GotfriedDolphins and sea creatures are falling ill due to straws and other plastics in the ocean, as well as pollution from litter thrown into the sea. I built a rescue ship out of aluminum cans, coffee straws, and maps. The ship's purpose is to save the sea creatures and assist in conserving our endangered wildlife.

ARTIST Maureen ChisholmMy piece is about how as humans, our actions can help speak for endangered animals since they cannot speak for themselves. Although animals can't communicate with us, we can inform one another of the various environmental challenges we face so that these animals can continue to live and prosper.

ARTIST Jaiden SchneiderMy sculpture is about the effect of marine trash that directly effects organisms and leads to their endangerment and extinction. By having organisms stuck in a can, it shows the animal's trapped in an always polluted ocean filled with plastic and other manufactured materials.This piece of endangered animals in the ocean relates to wildlife conservation, and how the animals and their habitats should be protected.

ARTIST Emelyn HarveyThe piece is a ‘Chimera’ of some of the most critically endangered animals in the world, many of which serve key roles in the ecosystem they take part in. The animals represented are the Amur Leopard, Javan Rhino, Tiger, Giant Chinese Salamander, Saola, Vaquita, Leatherback Seaturtle, and Spix’s Macaw.

ARTIST Ross StoneburnerThis piece is a Shame Totem pole. Shame Totem poles are created by northwestern Native American tribes to embarrass a certain person or group responsible for unpaid debts or wrongdoings. I created this piece to shame the human race, and their contribution to endangering the animals on the totem due to over pollution and loss of habitat.

ARTIST Brian Alcover hasThe point I’m trying to convey is that endangered wildlife is approaching it’s final days of living free in the wild. The only hope these species have of surviving is in captivity with the help of humans. The damage has already been done. All humans can do now is to preserve remaining species and prevent additional species from becoming endangered.

ARTIST Savannah WatsonIt's not well unknown that the Earth's elephant population is declining especially in Asia's ecosystem. The World Wide Fund for Nature provides sanctum for these beautiful creatures, but that's not enough. My piece is inspired by the great organization(s) that help elephants with their big presence and gentle nature. They`re worth saving!

ARTIST Savon WatsonMy piece looks to raise awareness for the many endangered bird species in the United States. It uses the more well known blue heron as a symbol to call attention to human degradation of animal habitats.

ARTIST Gleimi DejesusI made a turtle that is injured by a straw through it's nose. It's a well-known epidemic now that turtles are affected largely by straws and other plastic in the sea and that's what I wanted to depict with my sculpture. In the process of making the turtle, I used a variety of soda cans and clear tape for the shell, and paper mache maps over the armature for the rest of the sculpture. The whole sculpture is on glass shafts and tilted to make the turtle look like it's swimming.

ARTIST Evan SimmersThis piece represents the wildlife conservation theme through the use of recycled materials such as cardboard, straws, cans, maps, and newspaper to covey the image of a panda feasting on a small piece of bamboo in a slightly larger forest. This piece tries to convey how saving the environment is an essential human necessity, and how no matter what we do, saving the environment should be number one on the list.